Engagement Photos On The Beach

August 20, 2015 Steve Vansak

A young couple walks along Marquette Park Beach at sunset.

Stephanie and Craig had had a stressful day with power going out in the area that they live and now they were coming to the beach for their very first photo session. I'm sure it was all very daunting, but hopefully the calm sounds of Lake Michigan rolling onto the Indiana Dunes performed it's natural wonders.

We started our session at the incredibly scenic lagoon near Marquette Park Pavilion. I love the bridges there (even the shaky one) and the walkways are a great spot for engagement photos.

Engagement photos at the lagoon of Marquette Park Pavilion.

The Indiana Dunes has some great pathways and with a big ball of sun illuminating the way, I had to have Stephanie and Craig take a stroll. As visitors were leaving the Lake Michigan beach shores with the sun about to fall, we were heading toward it and looking for a nice sunset.

For their engagement photo, a couple strolls along a pathway at the Indiana Dunes.

My sandals are still caked with sand, but it was worth it to capture this lovely couple with the orange hue of the setting sun coming down upon them.

A sunset silouhette of a couple on a Lake Michigan beach.

This is merely a sneak peek of the many images we took during Stephanie and Craig's engagement session on the beach. I'm sure I will be back here because as summer turns into Fall, it's a wonderful time for engagement sessions on the beach.

Romantic Engagement Photos at Indiana Dunes

October 13, 2014 Steve Vansak

A couple shows off Purdue pride in their engagement photo at the Indiana Dunes.

Along with romantic strolls along the beach, Erica and Alex showed off Purdue pride during their recent engagement session at Marquette Park Beach. I met them early in the morning on the mostly deserted shores of Lake Michigan near the Aquatorium.

The skyline of Chicago can be seen in the background of this engagement photo along Lake Michigan.

There was a faint haze in the sky, but we could still see the skyline of Chicago as we took images all along the sandy shores. The temperatures were cool, but invigorating and aside from the occasional jogger or dog walker we were all alone to take natural and romantic images.

Being so close to Marquette Park Pavilion, we made sure to visit the lagoon and it's wonderful bridge. The morning sun gave a burnt orange look to the brush and I loved capturing the rays as they shined upon the couple through the trees in the nearby park.

Sun streams through the trees as a couple kisses in this romantic engagement photo.

A young couple looks out over the lagoon bridge at Marquette Park.

This Fall has turned out to be one of the busiest seasons ever for engagement photos. I've also found this time of year to be the busy for weddings as well, almost surpassing June. Many more Fall engagement sessions to appear here along with weddings. If you enjoyed this sneak peek look at Erica and Alex's romantic engagement photos at the beach, please subscribe below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

If you are looking at booking your own engagement session or want to inquire about a wedding, please fill out the Contact Form to see if I have your date available.

Romantic Engagement Photos at Marquette Park Beach

September 4, 2014 Steve Vansak

Romantic kiss along the Marquette Park Lagoon

On my way to Marquette Park beach to photograph Ashley and Cordale, I had sunset photo on my mind. I can't control the weather, but I had a feeling we would have a nice orange hue in the sky at least and that we needed to be ready - sunsets are fleeting.

We began our session along the lagoon at Marquette Park Pavilion. The soon to be married couple kissed romantically with the iconic lagoon bridge in the background. Thank you Mr. Fisherman guy for moving to another spot!! :)

I will be photographing Ashley and Cordale's wedding this November and they wanted to have some beautiful images to display at their reception. I know Ashley was quite taken with my Wedding Wish Books that enable guests to answer questions on various pages with photos of the couple shown throughout. These are more personable than guest books and better for display than giant signing boards. Definitely ask to see a sample at our consultation.

Indiana Dunes beach engagement photo collage.

We were still a good 45 minutes from sunset so we used the wonderful lagoon bridge for some of our images. I love that we were able to capture the Simpsons-esque puffy clouds as the couple relaxed at the top of the bridge.

A couple holds hands atop the Marquette Park lagoon bridge.

The lagoon itself has very reflective water and made for a great, dramatic image as the couple embraced.

A young couple is about to kiss as the sky reflects into the lagoon water at Marquette Park Pavilion.

We took many different photos on our way toward the beach, on the dunes and finally the lakeshore itself. Suddenly I saw the sun starting to dip and we all got into place to not only capture a gloriously shining ray of light in the sky, but also the wonderful light emenating from this warm couple. We had hugs all around after the session and I'm even more excited to photograph their big day later this year.

This is merely a sneak peek with many more romantic engagement photos to come. Subscribe below and follow the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more images.

Sunset engagement photo off of Lake Michigan.

Beach Weddings at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

January 17, 2014 Steve Vansak

The groom carries his bride across the bridge at Portage River Walk.

As I write this, the "polar vortex" is about to revisit Northwest Indiana with more bitterly cold air along with some snow. What a perfect time to talk about beach weddings at the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore!!

Sarcasm aside, you actually may be thinking about this as you do wedding planning for 2014 and 2015. I think most people have beach weddings or at least go there for their wedding photos because they love the calming atmosphere it provides along with the beautiful blue skies, water and fresh air. I also think beach weddings appeal to couples who want to keep it simple and natural.

Bride and groom walk toward the beach after their wedding at the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore.

Today I found out, that as a professional photographer, I will need to purchase permits for photographing at the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore. I shoot many sessions out there so I will be doing this in the next few weeks. If you are planning to have your ceremony at one of the lakeshore locations such as West Beach, Portage River Walk, Chellberg Farm and others, here are some guidelines you will need to know.

A permit is needed and can be obtained by calling 219-395-1644. The cost is $65.00.
Wedding permits are available all year around and are good for 2 hours.
Electricity is only available at one location - Portage River Walk.
The following is a link to download the - Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Permit Application
Metal or wooden folding chairs are not allowed.

Here is a link to download the Frequently Asked Questions about Beach Weddings at the Indiana Dunes.

I hope this is helpful to you if you are considering a wedding on the beach at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. You can contact me here if you have any other questions about the photography.